When installing professional lighting cost plays a major role. The three main parts of the cost are the luminaires, the installation and commissioning, and the energy. There are a number of ways these costs can be reduced. Cheaper luminaires may for example be used, which will reduce the cost in the short perspective, but may prove expensive if the quality is affected by the price and the luminaires in the system have to be exchanged prematurely. Another possibility is to use more energy efficient luminaires, which is a good idea to reduce energy costs. LEDs and fluorescent tube lights are usual choices to minimize energy requirements. However, a luminaire that is off uses even less energy. Luminaires can be switched off when nobody is in the room or corridor. Often a sensor is placed in the ceiling to detect presence of a person. However, this usually results in a sub-optimal light distribution, or a sub-optimal dimming because the field of view of the sensors is limited. For example, the sensor may miss a presence resulting in switching the light off while somebody is there. Another example is that the lighting in the entire room or corridor is switched on while only a portion is occupied. Adding a sensor also makes the installing and commissioning more difficult and costly.
There is thus a need to produce a lighting solution that saves costs in terms of shutting the luminaires off while still keeping the installation and commissioning costs down.